Bed Bugs and Chameleons

[cantgetagoodsn]

Unfortunately I just found out that my apartment has bed bugs. We are working with the complex to do what we need to get rid of them. I simply want to know if anyone has had experience with bed bugs and chameleons. My chameleon is a three year old panther chameleon that is free ranged and I want to know whatever anyone of y'all may know. Thank you very much!

 

[fluxlizard]

Since no better response has come along, I'll share with you something that might be helpful.

I haven't dealt with bed bugs before, but I have dealt with mites one time on my lizards a few years ago. Somehow they picked them up and they spread around the bearded dragons before I realized they were there. At the time I had many cages of bearded dragons. I cleaned out the cages and put newspaper down as a substrate, then sprayed the paper and the cage mesh (reptariums) with a spray you can buy very inexpensively at walmart for human bedding when there is a lice problem. This spray also works for bed bugs. It was very safe for the lizards I used it with and solved the problem in one treatment. The active ingredient lasts for weeks and is toxic to insects (will kill roaches and other feeder insects for a short while after first being used, but the effect on even these larger insects does not remain as long as for smaller insects) but was very safe for the lizards. I believe the active ingredient is similar to that used in a product for snakes which is used in the same way- advertised as spray the substrate and replace the snake and mite problem taken care of. A veterinarian friend recommended I try it. Worked great for me.

In your situation, if the bugs aren't in the plants, etc on your free range, I might spray anything the plants or vines touch that bed bugs could crawl onto- such as table legs, floor near tables, walls near any vines that are attached, light cords near the outlets, etc. And then I'd probably wipe everything down and clean it off thoroughly after the problem in your apartment is taken care of.

Of course, if you end up having professionals come in and fog the place, I'd remove the chameleons and keep them outside for the summer or something.

The spray I mentioned might also work on plants and soil in pots without harming the plants- I'm not sure- you'd have to try and see.

I would keep anything the lizard might drink from or eat from clean of the spray though...

Just some ideas- I was treating bearded dragons and not chameleons with plants and sticks and things...

I didn't loose a single lizard or notice any ill effect on the lizards whatsoever. The mites had to travel between lizard and cracks and things for their lifecycle- so by spraying the substrate lightly it took care of the problem (forgot to mention- a light application is all that is required, and probably best to keep it to that- in my case, the paper substrate was slightly damp for less than an hour before drying).